Image via Wikipedia
Nameberry called her freckle-faced, but she’s picked up an edge in recent years.
Thanks to Claire for suggesting Polly as our Baby Name of the Day.
Baby Name of the Day: Polly
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Tag Archives: Paulina
Sunday Summary: 7/25/10
First, Happy Birthday to me. Well, actually, my birthday is tomorrow. And so I’ll be doing something I haven’t done since shortly after I started writing Name of the Day posts in May 2008 – I’m choosing the names. All week. And I’m starting with my discarded given name tomorrow.
But enough about that. The big news in baby naming this week was Baby Name Wizard’s report on the fastest rising names of 2010. As usual, the coverage missed the critical fine print: these are the fastest gaining searched names, not names being inked on birth certificates by parents. Not everyone searching is expecting a child; not everyone searching and expecting would ever choose a daring name. And yet, it’s interesting to see the list, and there are definitely trends to be spotting among the fastest rising.
They are as follows, girls first:
1. Tenley
2. Harper
3. Everleigh
4. Martina
5. Sookie
6. Navi - There’s been plenty of speculation about Avatar’s impact on baby naming. Combined with actress Navi Rawat, could this be the film’s big contribution?
7. Charlotte
8. Eloise
9. Lorelai
10. Ursula
11. Briella
12. Kinley
13. Tinsley - The next Kimora?
14. Mhairi – It’s a twist on the Scottish form of Mary, but would probably be pronounced Mary in the US, so is she anything more than an impressively creative spelling?
15. Leighton
16. Maelle
17. Ever
18. Kinsley
19. Lux
20. Everly
There are some interesting picks for boys, too:
1. Castiel
2. Bentley
3. Eoin
4. Easton
5. Lucian
6. Aarav
7. Zion
8. St. John
9. Kaiden
10. Sterling
11. Callan
12. Leland
13. Harper
14. Mikah
15. Dashiell
16. Eliah
17. Dawson
18. Kayden
19. Lennon
20. Dorian
Other than the rise of the Ever- names, my real take-away is this: I suspect Charlotte is headed for the US Top Ten. She’s gently French, literary, and feminine without being fussy. Her nickname options are great. She’s also climbing rapidly, without any sign of hitting a plateau.
Putting my crystal ball away, here’s the rest of the news:
- Here’s a list that’s subject to the same flaws, yet seems more likely to suggest future US name trends: Luke Eales of babynames.co.uk guest posted at Nameberry, sharing the fastest rising names on his site. Jude and India, anybody?;
- Nymbler posted their June 2010 update. The Top Ten were the usual snooze of nice-but-oft-heard choices: Charlotte, Ava, Noah, Oliver, Owen, Amelia, Ella, Olivia, Grace, Henry. But the Top Four brand new names? A delight as always: Saylor, Loki, Zadie and Sookie;
- Speaking of Sookie, anyone want to take the over/under on when we’ll hear of a baby girl named Snooki? For real, that is … Jersey Shore’s Snooki was born Nicole;
- Forget New Jersey – what’s up with North Carolina? Check out these names spotted by For Real Baby Names: Fanny Celeste Marin, Jenton Stone, River Cruz, Kwynn Patricia, Mayden Jane. There are some really unexpected combos on that list. But she also found some lovelies: Ingrid Julieth, Emily Miranda. If Maylee is the new Kaylee, I guess Mayden might be the next Jaidyn;
- Speaking of -ayden, check out Nancy’s tally of boys receiving -ayden names in 2009. I won’t spoil the grand tally, but there were lots. No, really. There are more than you think, including seven Xhaidens and six Sheadons. All of a sudden, Castiel and Jenton sound as sensible as Joseph and James;
- This one is just for fun: Listicles posted the 12 Worst Name-Generating Websites. My Sarah Palin baby name is Fire Patriot. My vampire name? Mary Maundrell. What does it say when Twi-fying yourself produces the better result;
- File this under Only Vaguely Related: Mr. Clean’s first name is Veritably;
- While I’m on a random tangent, here’s another, this time via Fritinancy. The French word for weasel is belette. I had no trouble finding Bellette listed on baby name websites;
- Let’s end where we began – remember Lennon from the Baby Name Wizard list? If you’re a fan of the Fab Four, John, George and Paul are fair game, and Lennon and Harrison, why not? But Ringo? Names4Real spotted a Ringo Isaac.
It was a quiet week for starbabies. Juan Pablo Montoya – who is racing on our TV as I type this – welcomed a daughter, Manuela. The NASCAR notable is also dad to Sebastian and Paulina.
That’s all for this week, as always thank you for reading!
In Reserve: Possible Names for a Second Daughter
I doubt we’ll ever have a third child. There are dozens of practical reasons.
And one reason that’s trivial for him, dead serious for me: we could never agree on a name.
We do have a few candidates, scraps from the cutting room floor. I’ve mentioned them in comments from time to time, but I thought a round-up was in order.
Our girls’ list is first; I’ll post the boys’ list later.
Sunday Summary: 11/15/09
Here at AppMtn, it isn’t so very unusual to receive an outraged email or comment after I’ve said something less than flattering about a name. The longer I write, the more keenly I think about the fact that these names are worn by real human beings.
So it is doubly thrilling when I write something and the parents are happy to discover the post. Better still, they write about it on their blog. Which brings us to adorable baby Estelle over at The Emperor’s New Crib. Thanks to her parents, I now know that frikadelle means meatball in Danish.
A bunch of other random thoughts:
- I like Anneliese. I can understand respelling her Annalise or Annalisa. But Analyse? Yup, I’ve just spotted a baby Analyse. I don’t think her parents are psychiatrists;
- Anyone think True will catch on as a first name? It’s sort of like a virtue name on steroids – far bolder than the established Grace and Faith, stark compared to the gently old-fashioned Felicity or Amity. Actor Forest Whitaker has a daughter called True Isabella Summer. True Jackson, VP is a Nickelodeon show ’bout a super-stylish teen who ends up heading up a line at an honest-to-goodness fashion label. (And no, her mom’s name isn’t Kimora.) The show is in season #2 and now airs on Nick UK an Nick Latin America;
- Nicole Kidman is about to return to the big screen as Claudia in the musical Nine. If it is half the hit of Moulin Rouge, the sadly neglected Claudia could finally get a boost. After all, the devilish Satine still surfaces on message boards;
- I keep meaning to mention the compound name of my favorite project runway finalist – Carol Hannah. I’m not wild about either name, but I find the combination strangely appealing. Or is it too close to Poltergeist’s tragic Carol Anne? I also heard a prospective model’s name mentioned during casting for the contestants’ shows – Drielle, which sounds a too much like a French power tool to be pretty;
- Nancy mentions strangely appropriate names – as in, a retail analyst named Tiffany Co. I recently met a cantor named Aria and while chasing the kids around the Bass Outdoor Extravaganza Warehouse Winter Wonderland, I heard a camouflage-clad dad call his son Hunter;
- Bewildertrix spotted a Juno Alexandra Zénaïde, little sister to Hugh. I agree with her – what a fabulous combo;
- Digital Spy talked with Emmerdale (it’s a UK soap) star Charlotte Bellamy about the names she and partner Mungo Denison chose for their three kids: sons Sunnie and Herbie and daughter Teddie Boo Florence;
- She’s not here yet, but Joey Lawrence tells Celebrity Baby Blog that Charleston’s little sister will be called Liberty Grace.
A few noteworthy posts you might’ve missed:
- Did you catch the Nameberry post on Old Lady Names? It’s interesting to see how trends evolve – they report on the granny chic picks they’ve mentioned in each edition of Beyond Jennifer & Jason, now rebooted as Beyond Ava & Aiden. They’ve definitely caught on in the DC ‘burbs – I can think of Ida, Mabel, Hazel and Elsie all in my ‘hood. Funny to think that someday Cynthia, Barbara and Deborah will all sound fresh again, too;
- It’s no longer fashion limbo. They’re now outlier names. Celebrity Baby Blog interviewed Nameberry’s Pamela Redmond Satran about names like Paulina, Bronwyn and Helena;
- Lastly, Xanthe Linnea has a great list of one-syllable names for boys. I love Bram, Clark, Heath and Rhys.
Speaking of one-syllable boys, a year ago I was writing about Rex.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Sunday Summary: 11/1/09
I hope everyone had a spooktacular October 31. My firstborn led the neighborhood kids in a chant of “Halloween! Halloween!” as they walked through the streets, accumulating an unreasonable amount of candy. They grow up so fast …
Aly at Queen Anne Farm, 2009
But speaking of treats, our new neighbors have a son named Ellis and a daughter named Zora. Plus, a pint-sized Adelaide came trick-or-treating at our house.
Speaking of the nicely named, Jen of Blissfully Caffeinated has welcomed daughter Lila Genevieve. If you haven’t read her story, you might want to sit down first. Mom and baby are doing fine, but her birth experience? Not what you imagine …
Now, onto the name news:
- After defending variant spellings, I’ve found one I just don’t get: Nicholus, spotted by the hawk-eyed Bewildertrix. This just a week or two after Greysun. If u is the new y, expect to meet Peigtun, Jaydun and Londun shortly;
- A mother who gave birth on an AirAsia flight has named her son AirAsia. I guess Jett was too subtle;
- While we’re flying the friendly skies, I’ve yet to see Amelia, the movie, but I loved Nameberry’s Heroine Names posts – Part I and Part II.
- With a hat tip to Julie – new daddy Colin Farrell is, indeed, set to star in a film called Ondine, about a mermaid. So perhaps Ondine has a better shot at the mainstream than I initially thought. (We all know about big screen mermaids.)
Which reminds me … Splash’s Madison chose her name from the street, but I’m always excited to discover a street that just happens to have a familiar name. Did you know there are streets named after each of the Muses in New Orleans? I didn’t. But once I spotted Clio Street from the streetcar, I insisted on backtracking a few blocks until we could snap a picture.
Clio Street, NOLA
We used to live near an Aisbet Street – I always thought it sounded sort of like a Scottish version of Elizabeth. It isn’t – I’ve never come across the name’s origins – but I still think it sounds like a great choice for the middle.
A handful of famous babies’ arrivals were announced this week:
- Mets alum Mike Piazza and wife Alicia have welcomed a second daughter – Paulina Sophia, little sister to Nicoletta Veronica;
- Former Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller and husband John Falconetti have welcomed a son, John Rocco;
- While we’re talking athletes, the New York Knicks’ Al Harrington and wife Michelle welcomed a daughter, Amaya;
- Colin Farrell and girlfriend Alicja welcomed a son, Henry Tadeusz. (Pronounced tah DEH oosh – the Polish equivalent of Thaddeus.) Colin also has an older son, James Padraig.
Nancy posed the question: Should older children help choose a baby name? I was 11 when my youngest sib was born, and I’m quite certain that my mother wasn’t soliciting our opinions. (Which is, looking back, a good thing.) Anyone out there tried this at home?
Lastly, ABC revives V as a television series about benevolent – or not – aliens this week. I vaguely remember the 1983 mini-series, but found myself wondering what you’d name the Visitors. Looks like they’re pretty ordinary – the leader is called Anna.
Which reminds me … Clio’s ladybug costume, courtesy of Aunt Solange, looked sort of extraterrestrial, what with the drooping antenna.
Clio the Bug
Thanks to everyone for reading!
Sunday Summary: 4/19/09
It’s springtime, and our family tree is blooming! My brother-in-law tied the knot last week, meaning that I now have a sister-in-law with the lovely name Solange. (She’s pretty fabulous, too.)
On the other side of the Atlantic, Alexei’s godmother, Paulina, is now engaged to Bartholomew. I haven’t met him yet, but I did learn that he has a niece named Ala. (They’re in Poland, so name trends are more than a little different.)
Now, on to the news!
- I finally entered the Baby Name Wizard name pool, sliding in just under the deadline. I’m not sure my picks were terribly inspired, but here they are: for the three biggest gainers, I chose Emerson (f), Layton (m) and Adelyn (f). My three biggest losers were Tanner (m), Ashley (f) and Scott (m). And I guessed Bella as the tie-breaker at #132. Laura Wattenberg revealed her picks here;
- Speaking of Ashley, one of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jacqueline, is mom to teenaged Ashley and elementary-schooler CJ – and she’s got one more on the way. I’m not expecting a particularly exciting name. Compared to the New York wives, the kids’ names seem to be pretty ordinary;
- But on the extraordinary side, I just read a story about actress Sarah Clarke - she was on 24 early in the series – is mom to daughter Olwyn Harper. I had a Great Aunt Olwen, so that caught my eye;
- The Toronto Star profiled parents who chose the name Sapphire Ann for their new baby girl. She has big brothers Tyler and Chase. I go back and forth on Sapphire – I love Ruby, but somehow Sapphire seems outlandish. And the couple uses the nickname Fire which really puts it over the top. Or not. Because I do think lots of gemstone names should be valid choices;
- Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have welcomed a second son – but haven’t released his name! Too bad, because William Huckleberry – nicknamed Huck - is one of my favorite boys’ combos of recent years;
- Singer Kelis (of Milkshake fame. Sorry if that’s now lodged in your brain) is expecting a baby boy with Nas. The proud papa-to-be suggests that he might let the fans pick Junior’s name;
- I’ll admit I don’t recognize her name, but I like her naming style – Australian presenter Jessica Rowe and husband Peter Overton have welcomed a second daughter. New baby Giselle Charlotte joins big sis Penelope Allegra;
- Lastly, two interesting spots at the Box Office – in the Zac Effron vehicle 17 Again, the school bully is named Stan. The actor who plays Stan wears the much trendier appellation Hunter in real life, and most recently played Silas on Weeds. Then there’s the animated Monsters vs. Aliens. Reese Witherspoon gives voice to the animated heroine Susan. Anyone think Susan could make a comeback, or is still all about Susannah?
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading!
Name of the Day: Lena
Is this name a short and sophisticated stand-alone or best reserved as a nickname?
Thanks to JNE for suggesting the lovely Lena as the Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Paulina
For well over a century, Paul was a staple for baby boys born in the US. In fact, he’s quite common the world over. But the most common feminization, Paula, sounds rather dated in 2008.
And so we turn our attention to the Italianate version: Paulina. Thanks to Another for suggesting today’s Name of the Day.
Name of the Day: Poppy
Here on ApMtn, we quailed when Elisabeth suggested Poppy for today’s Name of the Day.
Poppy reminds us of the super-creepy scene in The Wizard of Oz, when the Wicked Witch curses the field of flowers to put our heroic travelers to sleep and thus prevent them from ever reaching Emerald City. What’s that? You thought the flying monkeys were more of a menace?
Sniff.
I can still hear Margaret Hamilton cackling, “Poppies … poppies will put them to sleep.” And yet, despite this bad childhood flashback, we admit that there is much to love in this flower power moniker.
